Automatic automobile-jack



L. M. FISHER.

AUTOMAHC AUTOMOBILE JACK.

L. M. FISHER.

AUTOMATIC AUTOMOBILE JACK,

APPLICATION FILED MAR. II, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented July 6, 1920.

naiven trarne PATENT FFI'CE.

LOUISl M. FISHER, OF CLARKSDALE, MISSOURI.

AUTOMATIC AUTOMDBILEJCK.

Application tiled lareh 11, 1919.

To all ytf1/0m if may concern e it known that I, Louis M. Freuen, acitizen. of the United titates, residing at (.llarksdele, in the countyof Dekalb and tl/tate of li/l'issouri, have invented new and usefullmprovenients in Automatic Automobile-Jacks, of which the followingl isa specification.

'.lhis invention relates to autoinol'iile jacks or lifting devices7having` for its primary olriect to provide means of a simple natureoperated by the momentum of a vehicle for causingv the saine to litt thevehicle bodily from the `ground and to hold the same in sach position.

further object of the invention is to provide lifting niechanisni of thecharacter stated constitiitiirgy a strong` and rigid support for thevehicle when the latter is at restn and which may be readily acti'iatedto antoimitically discharge the vehicle therefrom when desired.

i further object of the invention is to provide a jack of the characterstated which operates automatieally upon entrj,v of a vehicle upon thesaine land locks the inechanism with the vehicle in raised position; themechanism being` constructed and arranged in such manner as to becapable of being adj listed so as to accommodate Avehicles varying Vinlength and breadth.

A still fiirther object of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter stated which is featured by the lack of complicated mechanism;which has those jmrts which directly support the weight of the veliicleso arranged as to evenly distribute the weight of the vehicle and thusobviate overstraininrr of certain of the parts; which may be built in ormade a permanent part of a garage or which may be constructed so as tobe readily transported; which embodies novel discharge means fordelivering` the vehicle from the jack, and which will prove highlypractical and efficient in use.

FVith these-and other objects in view, theV invention consists of thefeatures of con struction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to theaccomv` panying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of avehicle jack constructed in accordance with the invention, the viewillustrating1 the parts in Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented July (i, 1920.

Serial No. 282,020.

the position they will. assume as the vehicle enters upon the same,

Fig: 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in Fig. l,

F 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the jack with theparts .in :the position shown in Fig. l,

F ig. -lis a view similar to Fig. 3, and showing;` the parts in theposition they will assume with the vehicle supported upon the jack,

F ig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken upon line of Fig. il,

Fig'. G is a fragmentary sectional view taken throi'lgh one of the rearaxle supporting members, and

F iles. T and S are detail perspective views of the parts constitutingiIthe sectional supportiin;l arm.

rllhe jack of the present invention embodies a structure of a portablenature, so that the same may be applied to or moved from the fioor ofthe garage with eXpe diency. The jack includes :i frame constitut-ing`tracks 10 arranged in spaced parallel relation and upon which the wheelsof the vehicle travel. These tracks may be .made of thin sheet metal orany other preferred material, and each is provided at its inner edgewith, an npstanding guard rail ll. The forward ends of these guard railsare deflected or curved toward each other as at 12, and these curvedportions constitute guides for directing the front wheels of the vehicleupon the tracks l0. The guard rails are connected together near theirforward ends by the rod 15h the latter liaving a turnbnckle or other :nli'ilstingr device 14 therein to permit of the said rod being lengthenedor shortened, This rod and tmfnbuokle enables the tracks to be movedtoward or away L the member 17 is recessed as shown, and receives theupper arm portion 19. This upper portion is v provided with a series otopenings 20, through one ot which a bolt 21 may be extended, the saidbolt also extending through openings 22 in the upper end of the member1?. This particular construction enables the arm to be lengthened orshortened, as the upper portion 19 may be readily adjusted within thesaid lower arm portion. The upper extremity of arm portion 19 supportsthe liront axle of the vehicle, and an abutment 28 is provided upon thissaid portion to be engaged by the said axle when the latter moves overthe arm, and causes the said arm to be swung rearwardly or into uprightposition.

The arms at the rear end oi' the tracks are arranged in lateralalinement and are identical in construction, and each of these arms haspivoted thereto one end of a Vrod 2d. These rods extend forwardlythrough suitable openings in the housing 15, and each rod has arrangedthereon a helical spring 25. The tension oi' these springs may beadjusted `by the nuts 26 on the ends of the rods. lt will be observedthat the springs 25 upon the rods 2a are relatively short, and are notbrought into engagement with the adjacent face of housing until the armshave reached substantially vertical position or the vertical deadcenter, and the said springs are not tensioned until after the arms havepassed beyond the dead center. When these springs have been tensioned,however, it is their 'tendency to move the arms back past the deadcenter' and into normal or lower position, as will be understood.

One oiE the arms also has pivoted thereto one end of a latch bar 27, theiiree end ol' which extends loosely through an opening in a latch plate28 secured to the inner tace of guard rail 11. rllhe underside of thislatch bar is notched as at 29 so as to provide a locking shoulder toengage with the plate portion defining t ie bar receiving opening.rllhis notched or shouldered portion upon the latch bar is so positionedas not to be engaged with the latch plate until the axle supporting armhas been moved rearwardly past dead center, but after the arm hasreached such position the shoulder upon the latch bar will engage withthe latch plate so as to hold the axleV supporting arms against forwardmovement.

rlie latch plate 28 has pivoted thereon a bell crank lever 30, one armof which is disposed beneath the latch bar 2? and in position to engageand raise the latter to litt the notch thereon out of engagement withthe latch plate when the bell crank lever is moved in one direction. Theopposite arm of the bell crank is connected by a link 31 with thehand-operated lever 32 arranged beyond the track and in a position Yronvenient to the reach oli' a person occupying the drivers seat of avehicle upon'the jack. The construction and arrangement is such thatwhen tne axle supporting` levers are at the limit of their rearwardmovement and the springs are tensioned, the occupant ot the drivers seatot the vehicle supported by these arms may readily actuate the mechanismby pulling upon lever 32 so as to cause bell crank to move the latch rod27 out of engagement with the plate 2S, whereupon spring 25 will at onceact to force the supporting arms forwardly. rlhis action will cause thevehicle supported by the jack to be moved rearwardly or discharged fromthe jack.

The housings 16 each confine a pair oi arms 33, similar in constructionto the arms at the rear end oic the track for supporting the forward endof the vehicle comprise sectional members similar to those indicated at17 and i9 at the `rear end of the jack, with the exception of theconstruction o the upper ends of upper portions 19. The arms 33 arepivotally secured at their upper' extremities to the supporting bars orrails 34, and it is preferred that the.

foremost of the arms be shorter than the other arm so that these bars orails 34 will incline upwardly from the front toward the rear end of thejack. -rllhe rails Sel in the present instance constitute metallic barsas shown to form spaced parallel portions, betveen which is confined awear or supporting plate Each supporting plate is provided with alongitudinally disposed slot 3,

ythrough which the pivots 37 at the upper ends of arms project. Eachpivot carries a roller 3S so that t'riction between the wear plate andthe supporting pivots is reduced to a minimum. lt will be observed thatthe width of the wear or supporting plates is such that one of thelongitudinal edges oit these plates projects above the correspondingedges of the supporting members 34, and these projecting portions ot thewear or supporting plates are adapted to engage and support the rearaxle of a vehicle. The supporting arms 33 for the members B-lat alltimes remain parallel, so that the said bars or rails 3d, while movingrearwardly, at all times maintain their position at an angle to theiioor of the garage.

The rear ends of the members 341 have engaged thereto the forwardextremities of links 39, the rear ends of the said links being pivotallyconnected to the front axle supporting arms at the rear ot the jack.Thee links may be provided with turnbuckles e() to enable minuteadjustment to be made. The latch bar 2'? may also be equipped with aturnbuckle such as indicated at 41, tor similar purposes.

The opposing housings upon the guard The arms' crease or diminish thedistance between the tracks, the cross bars may be detached at theirextremities from their respective housings, and after the adjustment hasbeen made they may be reattached to their housingj, either' byinserting' the bolts in different openings in the housings, or bysecuring the extremities ot the cross bars to the pivot members ttor thearms confined by the said housings. ritter the bolts have been properlyadjusted it is obvious that the tracks will be rigidly held together inproper spaced relation.

The tracks l are provided near their rear ends with the inclined blocks44. These blocks receive and support the front wheels of the vehicle asthe latter passes rearwardly upon the tracks. The thicker' ends ot theblocks terminate slightly in advanne ot a line parallel with thevertical dead center oi the -front axle supporting,` arms, and thesethicker ends may be recessed as at l5 to permit ot the tread of thewheel readily passing' beyond the said thickened end. rlllie tracks l0near their 'forward ends may beV provided with a covering 11G ofsuitable material and upon which the rear or driving` wheels pass justprior to the operation ot the jack.

iter the jack has been properly positioned within the garage andadjusted with the proper width and wheel base of the vehicle, the jackis ready for operation. The springs normally hold the parts in positionto receive the vehicle. The 'front wheels ot the vehicle are properlyguided upon the tracks 10 by the curved portions l2 :it the forward endsof the guard rails, and the advance of the vehicle upon the jack causesthe t'ront wheels to travel up the inclined taces ot blocks 44C. rlhebars or rails 34tnear the forward end of the jack are, when ininoperative position, Suthciently low to permit ot the 'front axlepassine therefrom without engaging the same,

but lthe abutment members 23 upon thearms at the rear end ot the jacklie in the path ot the iront axle ot the vehicle and are adapted to beengaged thereby. The engin gement ot the 'front axle with these abutmentmembers causes the arms at the rear end ot the jack to swing`rearwardly, and this rearward movement continues nnti the arms have beenswung' past the vertical dead center. During this rearward swinging,`movement of the arms, the supporting members at the forward end ot thejack have been moving bodily upward and into engagement with the rearaxle ot' the vehicle. its soon as the arms supporting' the tron-t axleoi .the vehicle pass the vertical dead center,.the tires of the troutwheels move beyond the ends ot the blocks 4A, whereupon the weight otthe 'forward end oit the vehicle will be thrown upon the supportingarms. This will cause these arms to move to their rearward limit, andduring; such movement the supportingI members at the forward end ot thejack are brought into engagement with the rear axle ot the vehicle andlitt the latter upwardly until the wheels supported thereby are clear otthe trackway. is soon as the arms supporting the iront axle have movedto their rearward limit, the latch shoulder engages with the latch plateand the jack mechanism Ais held against movement in the reversedirection. lllhile thus supported above the ground the vehicle wheels ortires may be inspected or repaired, as all oi' the wheels are out otcontact with the ground. .Vhen it is desired to remove the car trom thejack, the operator occupying' the chaui teurs seat will grasp the leverand move the same inwardly, whereupon the bell crank 3() is caused tomore the latch bar out ot locking,I engagement with the plate 2S. 'Thesprings 25 at once operate to torce the rods forwardly, thus pulling,Tthe axle supporting' arms 'forwardly past the dead center. rEhe weightoi2 the car then operates in conjunction with these springs to move themechanism to initial or inoperative position, and the vehicle drops downupon the tracks 10. Y i

By mounting` the wear or supporting` plates 35 upon the rollers, slightlongitudinal movement ot these plates is permitted, which willfacilitate the tree sliding forward movement of the vehicle during' thedischarging operation.

Having thus fully described my invention, l claim l. ln a vehicle jack,means engageable by the forward end oit the vehicle for raising' thesaid end, supporting members actuated by the said'means for raising theopposite end of the vehicle, means tor locking the said means andmembers in vehicle supporting position, rollers on said members, andContact plates mounted on said rollers and adapted to engage' andsupport the said vehicle.

2. In a vehicle j ack, a pair ot arms adapted to be engaged by the axleot a vehicle and to be moved so as to move the said axle upwardly,movable supporting` members adapted to move upwardly beneath the rearaxle ot the vehicle, links connecting the said arms with the saidmembers whereby the latter will be actuated simultaneously with the llidead center, locking means connected to and.

movable with the arms tor holding said arms against the tension of saidsprings, and means tor releasing said locking means.

4. ln a vehicle jack, a pair ot swinging arms adapted to be engaged bythe lront axle of a vehicle, swinging arms carrying supporting membersto the rear axle of the vehicle, links connecting the liront and rearswinging arms, slidably mounted rods pivotally vconnected with the frontswinging arms, springs encompassing and tensioned by the movement oisaid rods when the iront swinging arms are swung forwardly past deadcenter, a fixed locking element, a longitudinally slidingand verticallytilting latch rod movable through said lixed locking element andpivotally connected with a front swinging arm, said rod having a notchedportion to engage the lined locking element when the swinging arms areswung forwardly past dead center, and means operative to lift thenotched end of the latch rod out of engagement with the fixed lockingelement, whereby to permit the swinging arms to be moved rearwardly bythe action of the tensioned springs.

ble or swinging vertically, means 'for adjusting the length of saidarms, a bar connecting said arms, a wear plate carried by said bar andhaving a slot therein, roller bearings in said arms and in said slot andsupporting said wear plate, the said wear plate projecting above thesaid bar, means i'or moving said arms upwardly, means for securing saidarms in said upward or operative position, means for releasing said armsecuring means, and automatic means for returning said arms to normalinoperative position simultaneously with the release of said armsecuring means.

7. ln a vehicle jack, a pair of arms capable off swinging vertically,means for adjusting the length ot said arms, a bar connecting said arms,a wear plate carried by said bar and having a slot therein, rollerbearings in said arms and in said slot and su} porting said wear plate,the said wear plate projecting .above said bar, means 'for moving saidarms upwardly, locking means for said ari is in upward or operativeposition, means :tor releasing said. locking means, and tensionedsprings acting to return said arms to normal inoperative positionsimultaneously with the release of said locking means.

ln testimony whereof l affix my signature.

LUUIS M. FISHER.

